Midnight Dancer
by Dreamstar's Courage
Summary: Slayer. A person who was born to destroy 'monsters'. A person who, if a relative is murdered, must avenge their deaths. A person who can't work with Vampires. A person who must not fall for a Vampire.
1. Chapter 1

_**Midnight Dancer**_

_**Prologue**_

_Stone gray eyes blinked out from the darkness. Shadows fell over the person's face. She was crouched down, her hands resting on the ground._

_The girl had a catlike grace to her. Messy straw-colored hair showed that she had been on her own for a long time. _

_Slowly, she stood and began to walk through the yard. She knew that no one would see her. After all, this had been her job since birth._

_You see, Lena Roberts was not a normal woman. Age eighteen, she was attractive-when she wanted to be. _

_Her parents had never thought that Lena was the child they dreamed of, and didn't pretend she was. When Mom died, it was no use sticking around anymore. So she left. Dad didn't really care, but wanted the younger of the two girls. Maybe she would be normal._

_Yeah right._

_Lena had been gone for three months so far, leaving James to care for Eve. _

_The woman halted under an oak tree, rubbing her palms together for warmth. But an icy cold voice seemed to suck all the warmth from her body._

_Quick as lightning, she turned to find a man staring at her. But this wasn't any man. Tall, pale, black hair, emerald green eyes. Darkly handsome._

_Lena looked him in the eye._

_"Blaise."_

_He smirked. "Nice to see you too, Lena."  
The woman tossed her head of scraggly hair. "Why did you want to meet me? I'm busy. Got bigger blood-suckers to fry."_

_Blaise slipped behind her. She whipped around to watch him._

_"That's what I wanted to talk to you about."_

_Lena felt her throat close up. She knew this guy. Well, what he did. Blaise only looked her age, but he was powerful. _

_Suddenly, without warning, he slipped his arms around her shoulders. Lena tensed, preparing to attack, but he whispered in her ear:_

_"Relax."_

_That silky voice caught her, and she obeyed. _

_At her own cost._

_Faster than she could realize, he had a dagger to her throat, the other arm restraining her. Lena wanted to scream, but she knew she would be dead halfway in if she tried. _

_"So sorry," Blaise whispered, "But you owe me something."_

_Lena closed her eyes, knowing what he meant._

_"Blood."_

_A strangled cry was ripped Lena as Blaise's dagger ripped through her throat._

_Shaking his head, Blaise dropped the body to the ground. He sighed._

_"What a waste."_

_And walked off._

_xxx_

_So? Hope you liked._


	2. Chapter 2

_**1**_

My parents immediatly knew that I wasn't your average baby. First, my eyes weren't the baby blue they should have been. They were gray, like my sister's. Except mine were more silver.

Second, I never cried. Ever. I screamed, yes, but you never saw a tear from me 'til I was ten.

And third, I saw and heard things that weren't there. Not the whole 'I see dead people' thing, though I did. It was just... random beings would pop up and talk to me.

I had no idea what was going on for a long time.

xxx

I remember Mom's funeral. I was seven, and Lena was fifteen.

"Eve," She said, drawing me aside. "I'm gonna explain this as soon as possible, but right now, we need to get out. I'll get us out of here. Away from Dad."

Lena wanted to become an emancipated minor. This wasn't hard, since Dad didn't want her, but when she wanted custody of me, it was denied.

But she visited. A lot. And on one visit, the truth came out.

I was at the apartment that Lena rented, and she sat me down at the kitchen table.

"I'll be earning enough money to buy my own apartment soon," She announced awkwardly.

"How?" I asked.

"You see, Eve," Lena murmured, "You and I... we aren't normal. I can tell you have the same... gift as I do. I see you looking at people who aren't really there-to normal people, that is."

I wanted to gape, but kept quiet. Still... Lena, my biggest role model, my sister, was as strange as I was.

"We're what normal people call Slayers," Lena went on, "Not like Buffy. We keep normal people safe from creatures. I just got an official job as one for a company called the New Moon Organization. And I promise I'll get you home. When you're old enough, you'll get a job at NMO."

I just sat, shocked. Whoa.

A year later, Lena gained custody of me.

And you know what?

Two years after that, she was murdered.

xxx

'Hi, I'm: Eve Roberts'.

That's what my name tag read. Yes. On your first day at the New Moon Organization, you had to wear a name tag.

Bess-yes, that was her name-scanned me with muddy brown eyes. Bess was a fellow Slayer, and my boss. You wouldn't know it by looking at her, but she's killed many a monster.

She's plump, but not fat, with a stern face. Her hair is mousy brown with streaks of gray, and she looks a bit tired.

But when she looks at me, I know what she sees.

Everyone hopes for another Lena.

She was one of the best before she turned up dead six years ago. I'm now sixteen, and NMO is the best thing for me. I had to go to Dad, but they'll give me a place.

"Miss Roberts," Bess said, totally making the name tag thing seem pointless. "I would like you to go to orientation in Room Five."  
I suppressed a groan. Lena had often told me about how boring orientation was. But, with a sigh, I found the room and opened the door.

A group of eight other teens and two middle-aged people, a guy and a girl. As I walked into the room, I was aware of stares on me.

I guess I'm attractive. My eyes are silver, and my hair is thick and chestnut colored. I'm tan and tall, with pretty nice curves.

Everyone was seated in a half circle. I finally found a space between a guy and a girl, and sat down.

"You're late," The man talking said. His name tag read, 'Sean Nichols'.

I arched an eyebrow. "Am I?"

Bess hadn't said anything about me being late. The witch is now on my hit list.

Snickers arose from my question. Though Sean looked mad, even his partner, a woman wih curly blonde hair named Marie, giggled. For some reason, she struck me as a bit looser than Sean or Bess.

As Sean straightened everyone up, a hand nudged me. I turned to see a pretty Spanish girl smiling at me.

"Nice" she mouthed. Her name was Jinx.

I snuck a glance at the guy sitting next to me. He was good-looking, with shaggy blonde hair, a light dusting of freckles over his nose.

Luke.

He caught me staring and gave me a friendly grin. I smiled back and looked down.

As Sean droned on, many people began to nod off. That's when Marie interrupted.

"Er," She stammered, "Sean, this is a TWO-PERSON job, you know."

The room errupted in applause for the shy instructor.

"You go, _amiga_," Jinx shouted with a heavy accent. Marie blushed.

When the applause died down, she walked up quietly.

"Look," Her voice was now hard. "I won't give you an abridged version of this job. There are three ways you walk away from this place once you get past orientation. You get fired, or you die. You can't quit. So if you're scared, leave now."

And a girl actually _left._

OK.

"You break too many rules, you're fired," Marie continued, "Most people would say if you slip up on the job, you're fired." Her blue eyes were grim. "Here, you slip up on the job, you die a terrible, terrible death."

Everyone's eyes were one me again, and only one thought was on my mind.

_Like Lena._

"We'll teach you as much as we can along the way," She said, "But in the end, we may not be able to protect you. Be careful. Do your best. Never give up."

She paused before going on in a more relaxed tone.

"Those of you who are staying in dorms, you are free to go."

As I walked toward the doorway, looking lazily through a map, a voice came.

"Geez, can't get more fun than that, huh?"

I turned to find a grinning Luke. I smiled and shrugged.

"Guess not."

"Hey!" Jinx ran up. "You got 54B?"

I checked my key.

"Yeah."

"Sweet!" She stuck out her hand eagerly, and I shook it.

"Eve Roberts, right?"

I tore my name tag off. "M-hmm."

"Wow," Jinx said, admiration in her eyes. "Eve Roberts. I'd kill to have your genes."

"What do you mean?" Luke asked.

Jinx raised her eyebrows. "You gotta be new to the business if you don't know about Lena Roberts."

I flinched. Not that again...

"Lena Roberts was a famous Slayer who-" Jinx broke off, looking guilty.

"Who turned up dead," I growled. "Don't worry, Luke. It was her own fault."

xxx

It really was Lena's own fault that she was killed. She was too proud to bring any help along. For three months, she left me with her stupid boyfriend.

And then, agents are sent out.

She's found near an abandoned manor, her throat slit. I'm the only one who doesn't think she's a hero, dying in battle.

Whatever.

All I know is that she broke her promises. I went back to the life I had before.

xxx

_Hope you liked that! I already have around 15 more chapters already written, so review to get more!_


	3. Chapter 3

_**2**_

The dorm room wasn't all that big, but it'd do. Better than living with Dad. It had two twin beds, a coffee table, microwave, fridge... you know, the basics.

"I'm sorry about what happened earlier," Jinx said awkwardly.

Luke had gone home half an hour ago. He didn't need a dorm. Technically, neither did I, I just wanted to stay away from Dad.

"It's OK," I assured her.

But it wasn't OK.

As Jinx unpacked, I realized why she was living in a dorm. She was poor, struggling to live on her own. Then again, I shouldn't have been looking at her stuff. Her clothes were all Goodwill, but I didn't care. I was just reminded of when Lena had first gotten her apartment.

I'm not a big fashionista.

Trust me.

But it was just... Jinx was so confident in herself. I'm the opposite in that position. I'm the kind of person who needs to let people know not to mess with me.

Just as I was pondering this, I heard the sound of flames and a yelp. I closed my eyes.

"Next time, take the tinfoil _off _before you put something in the microwave, Jinx."

This was going to be the start of a beautiful friendship.

xxx

"So," Luke said, sitting down next to me. "What do you have?"

I looked in my case file.

"Werewolf, 70th Avenue."

"Same here. Guess we have to work together."

I smirked at Luke. He was quirky, fun, and eager.

Here we go.

xxx

"I'm the first Slayer in my family," Luke stated as we walked through the neighborhood. It was nighttime, a full moon.

"Mom and Dad kind of freaked out when I started seeing my dead grandma."

I snorted. "You're lucky. I saw _random _dead folks."

Poor Luke. So innocent. I had actually been fighting for a while...

A twig snapped, and I turned my head.

"Sssh..."

Two glowing eyes were fixed on us. I brushed my fingers across the silver pistol inside my jacket. Luke looked nervous.

"When he attacks, just make sure his teeth don't break the skin," I muttered. "It's OK if he claws you, just leave it to me to take care of him."

"But-"

"Now!"

A bony, hairy, wolf-like creature lept from the bushes toward us. Saliva was dripping from its mouth, and it had a hungry, manic look in its eyes. Snarling, it ran toward me.

But at the last moment, he swerved, and his muscular shoulders knocked me over. I winced as I hit the ground, but didn't get up.

Luke stared at me, begging me with his eyes to stand. This was part of the plan. The werewolf ran at him. As predicted, his claws scratched Luke, but his fangs didn't come in contact with the skin.

As still as possible, I pulled the pistol from my jacket and aimed.

"There we go," I murmured.

And pulled the trigger.

A silver bullet struck the werewolf, throwing him into the air with a yelp. He soared, landing about a yard away, his body skidding across the gravel.

Standing up, I brushed myself off. Hey, I payed twenty bucks for this black leather jacket, and to me, that's a lot.

"Well." I smiled. "Mission accomplished. He was dead before he hit the ground."

Luke walked up to me. "You sure?" He asked, shooting a look at the still werewolf.

"M-hmm," I assured him as I unfolded a body bag. We're required to take the bodies back for an autopsy so that we can be 'graded' and I had brought one folded up in my backpack.

"That's the job?" Luke panted.

I paused, thinking.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Great."

"I know, isn't it?"

xxx

I sleepily fumbled for my cell phone. Who the heck was calling me at 1:00 am? And after I'd done some wolf bustin'?

"Hello?" I moaned.

"Hey, Evie!"

I winced. "Hi Dad."

Glancing at the bed next to me to make sure Jinx was still asleep.

She was.

Dang.

I walked into our tiny bathroom and sat down on the counter.

"How are you?" Dad asked. He doesn't exactly know what I'm doing. He knows it's weird, and that's about it.

"Fine." My voice was clipped. I don't know why I'm like this. Part of me longs to have the father-daughter relationship that all the girls in movies have with their dads.

But part of me knows that's impossible.

Part of me thinks that our ties were cut as soon as Mom died. All severed the moment he wanted to pull the plug.

My mom didn't need life support.

She wasn't dying at all.

She was already dead.

Lena and I knew what Mom was doing to Dad, and we were OK with that. We also knew what her boyfriend was.

We didn't think he would bite her.

But he did.

She had an allergic reaction to the vampire venom. But she was still turned. The reaction didn't happen till after that, when she passed out.

And never woke up.

I knew that Lena was the one who _really _took Mom off of her real 'life support'. But she had to. She released Mom's soul.

I guess I'm mad at Dad because he actually gave up.

"I was wondering if you can come home," Dad said hesistantly.

I sighed.

"I'm bound, Dad," I murmured. "Like Lena."

"Lena's dead. And what are you bound to?" I shook my head.

"Dad, where are you at one?"

I rolled my eyes. "You got Judy over? Well then, see ya."

I hung up.

xxx

"I've just had my first case, too," Jinx commented as she sat down next to me at the cafeteria. "Zombie. You?"

"Werewolf," Luke and I answered together.

"I want some real action," Jinx sighed, resting her head on her hand. "Like... a Vampire. You'd get more credit too."

"Please," I snorted. "Like they'd give a Vamp case to newbies."

"What's the big deal about vampires?" Luke asked. Jinx and I stared.

"They're, like, the ultimate experience," Jinx breathed.

"Life or death," I agreed.

"Totally."

"What?" Luke asked. "I thought you became _undead _once you were bitten."

"You do," I said. "Mainly dead, though. The walking dead. And vampires are supposed to be smarter than... anything."

"I'm just happy I got out of mine without messing things up," Jinx sighed.

"Why?" I asked. "Our cases aren't that big at this stage."

She arched an eyebrow. "I'm not called 'Jinx' for nothin', Eve."

"What's your real name, anyway?"

She grimaced. "Nina."

"Aw," I cooed," It's cute!"

"Exactly."

I scanned the room. It was like a high-school caf. Populars giggled in one corner, staring at my beat-up jacket with a shirt that stated: 'Hit on Me... They'll Never find the Body'.

Hit List!

Jocks smoothly winked at them, making very explicit gestures.

OK.

Geeks quaked, scared of the jocks. Oh, and everyone but outsiders like us-Luke, Jinx, me-are afraid of the Goths.

Let me tell you something. Goths at NMO?

Extreme Goths.

"I'm gonna go talk to them," I said, very bored. here's my conversation before I inched away.

Me: Hey!

Goth: Whatever.

Me: Yeah.

Goth: (stares)

In English:

Me: I'm bored.

Goth: Die.

Me: Sure.

Goth: Die.

Anyway, that's how bored I was.

But everyone in here-except for the populars and the jocks-were probably capable of killing creatures. Or getting themselves killed.

Like Lena.

xxx

_**OK. Blaise will become a major character soon enough. So. What do you think are Eve and Luke's feelings toward each other, and what would you think of the pairing? And, who's your fave charrie right now?**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**3**_

Bess stared at me. I stared back. Why the heck had she called me to her office?

After a few moments of silence, the door burst open, revealing a flustered looking Marie, who came to stand beside Bess.

"Hi Eve," She panted. "Sorry I'm late."

Bess nodded sourly, and said, "Explain to Ms. Roberts what we are proposing."

Marie turned to me and looked me in the eye. "Eve. Did you ever find out what exactly happened to-"

That's where I stop the story for a moment. I could tell what she was about to say. Just by her tone. People have used that tone with me before. When I was seven, when I was ten...

They were talking about 'dearly beloved'.

The one who had, 'passed on'.

'Left'.

In simple translation, a dead person. Like, someone could say to you, 'Eve... I'm so sorry. We've decided to let your Mamma go.'

In other words:

'Eve, even though you're only seven, we've decided to give up on your mom, and basically murder her.'

Yeah.

When you come down to it, that's all it means.

"-Lena?"

My voice was so dry, that when I first tried to speak, words weren't formed. Finally, I cleared my throat and spoke again.

"No. They didn't."

Marie and Bess exchanged glances. Finally, Marie started.

"She was after the leader of the Blood Coven," She said. "But he died a few years ago. Her killer still lives, though. We're not sure who he is, but he's in a position of power." She smiled.

Oh great. Don't tell me that this is coming-

"Now. What would you think of destroying him?"

No. No, no, no.

I smirked.

"Go on."

xxx

I'm not doing this for Lena. I'm doing this for me. For honor. For revenge.

Pure revenge.

xxx

"They're gonna let you handle big-time _already_?" Jinx asked, eyes wide. She glared. "I hate you."

"We're coming," Luke said firmly. I gave him a weak smile, looking around the lounge to make sure no one was watching. He was really a nice guy. Cute, funny... not SO excellerated in the common sense category, but sweet. I liked him.

No, not that way.

Right?

"You can't," I whispered. Once again, I looked around. Nobody was paying any attention to us. Sometimes, being invisible to all other cliques rocks.

The populars and the jocks were too busy fighting over the TV to spare us a glance. The Goths were too busy torturing the geeks to bat an overly-lined eye at us. The geeks were too busy finding what three million, fifty thousand, six hundred, fifty-five times pi was, and hiding from the Goths.

And they weren't using calculators.

There are some brave people around here, I tell you.

Jinx raised an eyebrow. "Since when has that stopped us?"

I laughed. "Look, they're only letting me do this because of Lena. They feel sorry for me."

Luke frowned. "If they're just doing it because they feel sorry for you... Eve, you might not be ready for this."

I blinked.

Jinx stared.

Anyone else who had actually heard the comment(which, since Luke had a loud voice, was everyone) was silent.

Somebody coughed.

"Oh, no, he _didn't_," One wannabe exclaimed.

I glared at everyone till even the Goths muttered, "Sheesh" and looked away.

Meeting Luke's eyes, I began in a calm, deadly voice. "Trust me. I'm getting that vampire."

I slipped my most prized possesion out of my pocket. I dagger, entirely made of silver. Seraded edges showed dangerously. The handle was bare, except for two initials.

L. R.

Lena Roberts.

"That rocks," Jinx declared, not seeing the letters. "Where'd ya get it?"

I stared at her for a long time, then wordlessly walked out of the room. Dramatic, but if you've ever had your mom and your sister dead a few years between each other, than you'd understand.

I leaned against the wall in the hall, then slid downwards till I was sitting. Fingering the dagger, I thought about my actions. Had I done the right thing? Maybe I should have told her...

"Eve?"

I looked up. Luke. Quirky, sweet Luke. I was getting emotional in front of a cute guy. Adam Brody cute, but still cute. I wondered how old he was? Seventeen? Yeah, I'd say he was seventeen. His golden bangs brushed over his head. Dark eyes smiled.

Gently he reached out to whipe my tears away, but I jerked my head up.

"Are you OK?" He asked.

"Totally," I answered, but my voice cracked. Stupid Eve.

"No, you aren't."

Luke sat across from me? Oh no. Were we gonna have one of those cute movie moments? Geez, I hate those.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I replied between gritted teeth. Why did everyone always ask me this? It was like I was a walking advertisement for a mental ward resident.

As my anger rose, the lights suddenly crackled.

Not again.

Luke looked up.

"Eve, what caliber are you?"

"Huh?"

"How powerful are you?"

"Don't know," I confessed. "Haven't had myself tested yet."

Luke looked puzzled. "You people are really serious about this, aren't you?"

"We keep people safe," I said seriously. "That's kinda important."

Luke gazed at me for a long time. By a few seconds, I was feeling extrememly uncomfortable. This was not going how I wanted it to g-

You may be wondering why I stopped in the word, 'go'. It may have been because I was trampled by elephants. Maybe because I was murdered by a random vampire.

Oh no.

Luke was kissing me.

Surprise, surprise.

It was a soft kiss. Tentative, cautious, not that passionate.

But I knew he wanted me.

Slowly, I began to kiss him back. Very slowly. Did I like Luke? Well, my feelings couldn't be just platonic. I was kissing him!

Gently, we broke the kiss at the same time.

OK, I'll admit it.

You see, I'm not the kind of girl who goes for the little soft, sixth-grade kisses from Spin the Bottle where the girl gets her crush. I want smooth, passionate, rough kisses.

Trust me, Luke wasn't kissing me like that.

Which really makes me doubt how comitting he'd be-

Fine, I'll shut up now.

"I'm sorry," Luke muttered, looking down.

"No, you aren't," I murmured. "You got what you wanted."

Ugh, I didn't mean to say that! My mind was a tangle of emotions.

Luked looked hurt. The electricity was going haywire, and suddenly, all was dark.

But only for a few moments.

You see, Slayers are so advanced next to normal humans, we even have advanced body parts. We have extra lenses that help us see better in the dark, so that we can hunt creatures better.

Ignoring Luke's desperate cries, I raced into my dorm room, collapsed on the bed, and just lay there, not shedding any tears.

xxx

_**Blaise will be officially coming into the story in chapter five, for people who want to know. He seems to be building a following already, and he hasn't even said much, and just murdered the main character's sister! Sweet!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**4**_

Now, like many sixteen year olds, I was getting my driver's license. But I wasn't getting it the normal way.

I was getting it Slayer style.

After the written part was over, I walked into the driving section to find Marie standing near a sleek, smooth, corvette.

Gosh, I want that car.

"Now," She said as we slid in, clipboard in hand. "No gum chewing, pointing at possible awe-inspired tourists, or screaming at the top of your lungs."

"Marie," I sighed. "Do I _look _like I'd do that?"

"Er... not especially."

"See!"

She smoothed her skirt. "Start."

I revved up the car and began to make the sharpest turns possible. At two-hundred and eighty miles an hour, Marie calmly told me to stop. Frowning, I slammed on the breaks, and the car skidded to a halt, tires screeching.

"Good," Marie smiled. "Now, over the ramp."

I nodded, assumed the speed, and took in the light as air feeling as we soared over the ground. As we landed, Marie handed me my grade.

B+. Not bad at all.

xxx

I looked at the license in pride. Good for all states, you know. Advanced.

"That's awesome," Jinx grinned, then put on a pouty face. "I don't have mine yet. Can you take your poor, poor friend places?"

I rolled my eyes. "Buy me a car, and we'll talk."

"Your dad won't get you one?"

"Heck, no. He's too busy spending on _Judy_." I hissed the word like a snake. "She's such trash, you know? Her daddy's rich, and she looks like Pamela Anderson, but worse."

"I _hate _her," Jinx muttered angrily.

"Who, Judy, or Pamela?"

"Both. I know I haven't met Judy, but even Pamela gives me the creeps."

"I _know! _The woman needs some larger bikinis. Only guys and lesbians wanna see that much. In fact, a lotta guys don't want to see it with her age."

"Like Dolly Parton."

"I don't know, Dolly has some weird little thing that creeps you out, but is charismatic at the same time."

"True."

Our intriguing conversation about plastic stars was interrupted by a knock on our dorm door.

"Enter at your own risk," We chanted at the same time. Something we've been working on... stop staring at me like that...

Hey! I think it's cute!

A shy face peeked through. Great.

"Luke," I sighed. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to apolo-"

"Apologie's accepted," I lied, sarcasm ripping through my voice. "Now you can run along."

Looking _very _hurt, he backed away.

"What was that about?" Jinx asked as the door closed.

"Oh, nothing," I answered lightly. "He just kissed me yesterday."

She winced. "Ouch. But it's not like it wasn't expected."

My eyes widened. "It wasn't?"

"Oh!... Gee... you didn't know?" She squeaked.

"As a matter of fact, I didn't."

"Eve, young, naiive Eve-hey, that rhymed!"

"As you were saying?" I pushed.

Jinx put on her best Dr. Phil face. "Luke's liked you since the day you came!" She cried, ruining it.

"That explains a lot," I said sadly. Jinx looked thoughtful, until she finally said,

"It's kind of out of season... but I know the perfect cookie dough movie!"

xxx

_"We're on the island of misfit toys..." _The high-pitched voices of the train with square wheels, the something-in-the-box, and the little doll sung.

"This movie rocks," I decided.

"Duh!" Jinx cried. "It's _Rudolph!_"

"True," I mumbled, stuffing some cookie dough into my mouth. "But that train really does stink."

xxx

"The stinkin' instructors had to wake me up at stinkin' one a.m., right after a stinkin' Christmas classics marathon was over," I grumbled, walking out into the parking lot.

"Language, Ms. Roberts." Bess's voice came through the night.

"All I said was-"

"Still."

Grumble, grumble.

Well. Might as well see my torturers. After trying to switch on the flashlight, failing, banging it against my knee and nearly swearing in pain-"Language!"-I was able to get the thing on and cast a light on Bess and Marie.

"So. I thought we were going for four a.m."

"We were," Marie admitted, blinking against the harsh beam. "But Bess had insomnia."

I glared at Bess.

The car was a truck, actually. Silver. Inconspicuous, but I didn't mind. It had wheels, it had an engine, and as far as I knew, it moved, so I guess it was a vehicles.

"Do you have all your weapons?"

"Yep, yep, yep!"

"Good."

Marie tossed me my keys. As I fingered them, I felt guilty for being unable to say bye to Jinx, and even Luke, the hormonal adolescent male that he was.

"All right," I sighed. "Bye."

"Good luck."

"Don't get into trouble!"

"Shut up."

xxx

It was quiet...

Too quiet.

Sorry, always wanted to write that.

Actually, it sounded like the normal country dirt road. Cows mooed every now and then. Crickets chirped. There was the occasional laughter from the obviously drunk hillbillies down the way.

But other than that, normal.

I turned on the radio to drown out the sound of the hillbillies. 'Vampires Will Never Hurt You' came on.

Ironic?

That was the stupidest move I'd ever made.

xxx

_He turned his head sharply. The sound of very annoying music reached his sensitive ears. SOMEBODY HAD TO GET RID OF THAT MUSIC!_

_Spreading his wings, he let out a piercing cry, calling the others..._

xxx

Slowly, cold, glowing eyes began to open, one by one in pairs. I shivered. Had. To. Get. Outta. Here.

Now.

But as I put the key in the ignition, the screeches came, and they flew in, their wings making the wind swish.

Bats.

But not just any bats.

Vampire bats.

The _real _ones.

Unlike normal bats, their eyes were assorted colors, all human like. They had slavering jaws open, foaming at the mouthes.

And...

They flew in my _hair._

_That _was the final straw.

"Gross!" I screamed, batting them away. Yes, with all my training, all I did was hit the bats.

That was pointless.

It, of course, just made them more mad.

I suddenly remembered what to do. Snapping the flashlight on didn't faze them, but that's not what I was going for. Carefully, I took a bible from my backpack, flipped to some random verse, and shone the beam on it.

The cries were scary.

Words were literally burnt into the bats' skin, and they were flying out as fast as they cold. Only one made it out unscathed, the leader. A smart one.

A challenge.

xxx

_**Gee, wonder who the leader was?**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**5**_

"Who the heck are you?"

I blinked my eyes open at the dumb-sounding voice of a man. Late last night, I had pulled over and snuggled under a quilt, just lying across the front seat. Now two idiots were staring at me.

"Hey angel," One leered. "What're you doin' here?"

"Sleeping," I grumbled. "'Til you losers woke me."

Both wore gas station uniforms, with name plates. Bob and Fred. How ironic.

Fred frowned. Bob just looked too stupid to process my answer.

"C'mon, girly," Fred began.

Oh.

He called me 'girly'.

Nobody calls me 'girly'.

"Look," I growled. "First of all, Fred, don't call me girly-"

Bob then so rudely interrupted me.

"How she know our names, Fred?"

I rolled my eyes and continued. "Second-Bob, you got a little something riiight there." I pointed to his nose. As he and Fred examined this dilemma, I turned the truck on.

"Hey boys!" I smiled. They turned.

I waved.

"Buh-bye."

With that, I ran over their feet as I drove off. Both were screaming very unkind things that I really shouldn't write...

But I just looked in the mirror.

"Suckers."

xxx

"Aw man," I muttered. No money. Marie and Bess must have forgotten. Now, I could call in for a credit card, and they could send someone to give it to me, but that would take a while...

xxx

I pulled the ski mask over my face. Geez, what a stupid look, but I didn't exactly want to be seen. Slowly, I snuck into Wendy's. Yes, Wendy's.

Carefully, I pulled my pistol out and pointed it at the workers. They froze, and I made my voice as gruff as possible.

"Gimme a Chicken McGriddle. Please."

All were silent 'til a zitty-faced kid spoke up. "Uh... we don't have them."

His manager slapped him.

"You don't?" I asked.

"Yeah. That's McDonalds."

"Oh. Duh." I slapped my forehead with my free hand. "Sorry." I started to walk away, then turned back. "Oh, and can we, you know, not speak of this?"

All the workers nodded.

"Thanks.

xxx

"Uh, no offense, but can you tell them to hurry up?" I asked. My hand was starting to ache from keeping it on the manager's temple for so long. It's not like I was really gonna shoot her, but it sets the mood.

"I'm a busy girl," I added.

"OK!" She yelled. "Hurry!" She toned down her voice. "Would you like some money, miss?"

"Nah."

Three minutes later, my McGriddle was safely in my hands.

And it was a pretty good one, too.

xxx

"EVE!"

I flinched away from my cell phone as Marie's voice screamed into it.

"Um... guess you found out about the McDonalds thing?"

"What McDonalds thing?" She asked worridly.

Oops.

"Nothing," I replied quickly. "Why are you calling?"

"Well..." I could hear in her voice that something was terribly wrong. "Oh, this is so hard to say!"

And I knew it.

"Jinx is missing," I whispered. "Isn't she?"

"Eve," Marie said quickly. "I know that Jinx is your best friend, but you _can't_ detour from this mission. We have our best looking for her, you just need to get this guy!"

"I know," I sighed. "It's just gonna be hard not to..."

My heart was aching. My best friend might be dead, and I needed someone. I needed Luke. Suddenly, that was when it happened.

_I felt arms around me, lips against my forehead. But they weren't Luke's lips, and they weren't his arms._

"Eve? Eve?"

"Sorry Marie," I whispered, shivering. "I kind of... spaced."

"Don't worry, I get it," She soothed. "This must be hard for you."

"Yeah," I sighed. "It is."

xxx

A little boy walked up to me in Herberger's. I took in his appearance. Cutest kid I'd ever seen. Curly blond hair, freckly skin, slightly oversized clothes. He had a huge smile on his face, so I guess that he was either not lost or demented.

But the eyes clued me in.

They were orange.

Not yellow, not topaz, not amber...

Orange.

And also, they were perfectly round. No slant at all, perfect spheres.

"Shape shifter?" I asked conversationally.

His smile disappeared.

"Yeah," He said in a voice that was not at all a six year old's voice. "I'm on your side, don't worry."

He fished into a pocket and drew out a credit card. "From NMO."

"Thanks," I replied to the messenger, taking it. He nodded, hid behind a large stack of clothes that nobody was near, and came out as a young woman.

I hate dealing with Shape Shifters. One minute, they could be a cute guy, the next, your granny.

Dang confusing.

xxx

Being a Slayer, I hardly ever get to do stupid teenager stuff. So, I decided to go to a bar that night, just to relax and be an idiot.

As I walked in, I realized that it was very crowded. Oh well, not much I could do about that.

Oh, wait.

I could.

But seriously, I didn't really want to cause global conflict this time...

Ignoring the cat calls that every female gets when she walks into a place with many middle-aged single guys, I sat down. The bartender looked me up and down. I was a strange sight there, I guess. Not in a tank top and Daisy Dukes, and all.

"Uh... I'll have number five," I said lazily, sitting down. I didn't even look up at the list of drinks. The bartender stared at me like I was crazy, and then handed me a beer.

I blinked. Being a Slayer, I don't drink. I _can't _drink. It corrupts our immune system.

Don't ask why I even _ordered_ anything, then.

Not even glancing at him, I asked the guy next to me, "Want it?"

A cool voice answered. "Sorry. I don't drink alcohol."

Being a complete hypocrite, I turned and said, "Then why-"

But cut myself off, jaw hanging.

Black hair whisked into his face, emerald green eyes were visibly amused by my reaction. A chiseled angel face was directly facing mine, and an amused grin revealed perfect teeth.

I should have known, what with being a fighter of evil, and by the porcelain skin, what he was.

But nooo.

I was too busy ogleing this complete stranger.

Before either of us could even speak, a finger tapped my shoulder.

"Hey girly," Came that familiar dumb voice.

"Oh." I turned. "Hi Fred."

The man leered at me, and just as I was about to break his arm, the stranger put a hand calmly on Fred's shoulder and shoved him.

How did I know that Tall Dark and Sexy wasn't normal?

Well, the fact that Fred was flung to the other side of the room and knocked out by the sheer force of hitting the wall was a little clue.

A look of exasperation crossed the stranger's face.

"Shoot," He muttered in his alluring voice, then quickly began to walk out the door. I followed him into the parking lot and leaped in his past, my jaw set.

"You're a vampire, aren't you?" I hissed.

The vampire smiled wider than before, now revealing sharper than usual incisors.

"And you're a Slayer." His eyes traveled up my frame, and I held back a shiver. "Heard of you. Eve Roberts?"

I smiled and got closer to this six foot five stranger.

"That's my name, don't wear it out."

xxx

_**Finally! He's here!**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**6**_

Why hadn't I seen it before? I mean, with the heavenly looks, the charm... I'm trained to know this...

"By the way," I asked. "How do you know who I am?"

"Your older sister made a quite a name for herself where I come from," He said dryly, the offered his hand to shake. "I'm Blaise, by the way, while we're on a first name basis."

"We won't be for long," I promised icily, shaking the frigid hand. I held back a gulp as his hand touched mine. Vampires are attractive to anything alive, but Blaise was seriously sexy. His raven black hair was messy, and his emerald green eyes were lovely.

But I'm totally all business.

"So," He asked lazily. "Are you going to stake me now?"

I looked him up and down. Right now, without great weapons, I didn't have a chance. And I wanted to know how much this guy knew about Lena.

But then again...

I reached into my jacket for a rowan stake. It would be nice to see how he reacted.

Blaise's eyes narrowed, following the movement of my hand, and as I raised the stake casually, he dodged it. It wasn't even my best shot.

"You've been through a lot of battles," I commented.

"Oh really?"

"Your reflexes are very tense."

Blaise smiled smoothly. "Can't we talk about this?" He murmured. I shook my head, trying to forget his voice.

"Uh... no?" To my embarrassment, it came out more as a question. Then it came to me. The perfect plan. "But I will make a deal with you."

Blaise leaned closer to me, and his cold breath fluttered my hair. "What exactly is your 'deal'?" He asked.

"I need help finding the vampire who murdered my sister," I stated. "Will you help?"

Blaise paused, then averted his eyes. "What's in it for me?"

"Well," I smirked. "I won't kill y-"

"Nice try," He laughed softly, then, in one swift motion, had my chin in one hand, and was forcing me to look straight at him. I thought about my helpless throat, but he wasn't looking there. "You haven't fought a vampire before, have you?"

"That's for me to know," I hissed, jerking my head up. Didn't really work. Blaise just worked.

"You know," He said, leaning his head closer to mine so that his breath was cooling my skin. "For a Slayer, you're not as repulsive as I thought you would be."

He allowed me to lift my head out of his grasp. "And for a vampire," I commented. "You're not nearly as attractive as I thought _you_ would be."

Blaise simply laughed. His green eyes showed the obviousness that he knew what my body was thinking. "You're lying."  
"Physically, yes," I admitted. "Mentally... You know I hate you."

He chuckled darkly. "All right with me. And by the way... your deal? I'll take it."

xxx

"Sorry," I smirked. "I am so driving this car. It's my car."

"Technically," Blaise corrected me as we stood in the same parking lot. "It's the NMO's. But I have a feeling that you, like all teenagers, really don't care..."

"Oh, and you're sooo much older and wiser, great one," I mocked.

"Well," He pointed out. "I was born in 1886."

"1886?"

"1886."

Wow. He _was _old. But did my stupid female teenage hormones didn't exactly care. Not one bit. Oh, yeah, they cared how his face was so... beautiful, how his hair swept over his forehead in that terribly sexy way, how his emerald green eyes-

I'll stop now.

After scanning his face, I took in a couple deep, quiet breaths. No need to get excited about a vampire.

"Uh, Eve?" Blaise's eyes took in my drunk appearance, then got an idea. I was still dazed, and he knew it. "Now," He asked gently. "Can I drive?"

"Yes," I said breathlessly.

"How about for the whole entire trip?"

"Yes!"

He patted my head. "Good girl."

And slipped the keys right out of my limp fingers.

xxx

"You took advantage of me," I grumbled, arms crossed.

"No," Blaise corrected. "Taking advantage of you would be doing this."

His eyes caught mine in an experienced way, and as I was being an idiot, Blaise swiftly bent his head towards me. I trembled as I felt icy lips brush my neck in a chaste but at the same time crossing-the-boundaries kiss.

"_This_," He purred against my skin. "Is taking advantage of you."

"Eyes on the road!" I yelped, even though his hands had been stiff on the wheel the whole time. Blaise laughed and looked back on the road. For a moment, I wished Luke was here. Then again, good thing he wasn't. Blaise would twist him into a pretzel.

"This is getting uncomfortable," I announced. "Exactly, what do you do when you get hungry?"

"I bring an end to pain," Blaise said with a shrug. "The terminally ill who want to get it over with, a few suicidals who will never recover... they dream. I send them dreams. If they want to truly look... death... in the face, then I'm the one they come to."

"What if they change their minds?"

His voice was hollow. "They never have a chance. I'm too thirsty by then."

Alarm made my heart race. "Are you all right now?" I asked quickly.

"Of course!" Blaise said scornfully. "What do you think I am, crazy? I wouldn't want to spend time with a girl around my age if I was hungry."

"How long have you been like this?" I murmured. Blaise tilted his head one way.

"I started this new way of life in 1952."

Whoa. That was a while of being just savage. And yet, Blaise was so civilized... so wonderful...

I slipped my hand inside my jacket to grip Lena's dagger, trying to draw her strength from it. Weird, I know, but it works. As I did this, Blaise reached forward to grab a map from the dashboard. His sleeve slipped back a bit, revealing muscles any sane girl would die to touch. His eyes followed my gaze, and he drew his arm back quick as a flash.

"Please," His voice was different, restrained. "It makes it harder when a girl is... weak around me. It just is more tempting."

I stood up straight, looking away from him.

"Sorry," He sighed.

"It's Ok." I paused. "Did you ever meet Lena? My sister?"

Blaise stiffened. "Yes," He murmured. "I did. I had siblings, you know."  
I arched an eyebrow. "Really?"

He nodded. "Long ago, it was me, my three brothers, my father, my mother, and my sister. My two older brothers, Sean and Thomas, were like my father-haughty and arrogant."

"Like you aren't arrogant?" I snapped.

Blaise shrugged. "I never said I wasn't," He said. "And my mother, Louise, was kind and gentle. I had my younger brother, James, who was the only one I was close to, and my sister, Lucy, who I loved dearly. When I was twenty, James was fifteen, and Lucy and was twelve, we were ambushed by a gang of vampires who bit us, along with my mother."

I took in a sharp breath. Louise, with three of her children, vampires.

"I became sort of... a leader," Blaise muttered. "But then, not so long ago, our house was set on fire. Fire is one of the few things that can kill us, you know. I was the only one who survived."

"Who would do such a thing?" I whispered.

Blaise met my eyes.

"A Slayer."

I looked down. "Then why are you even speaking to me?"

"I... I don't know, really. Strange, now that I think about it."

xxx

_**Wow, Blaise has a pretty good fanbase! R and R!**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**7**_

"Can we please be somewhere... oh, I don't know, not here?" Blaise asked me politely.

I rolled my eyes. "Bess called me and wanted to see how I was doing. Meet with me. _You _will not be getting out of the car."

"Eve," Sarcasm dripped from his voice. "It's a Catholic church. I happen to have an aversion to Catholic churches."

"That's a myth," I said. "Only a Slayer can hurt you with the word of God."

Blaise sighed, and shook his head. "It's not that. It's just that, whenever someone suspects me, they have a guy come out and go 'the power of God COMPELLS YOU' about fifty times." He muttered lower under his breath, "Fifty _freakin' _times."

I laughed, and put a hand on his hard, muscular shoulder. "I won't let anyone try to exorcise you," I assured Blaise. "Just... stay."

He nodded, and I walked into the church. Stained glass windows covered the place, pretty and artsy. But, instead of Bess standing there waiting for me, I found a teenage guy with blond hair and brown eyes. I flinched.

Luke.

This was bad.

"Eve!" He called, walking up and squeezing me with a huge hug. "How are you?"

"Bess said-" I began, but he cut me off.

"I convinced Bess that you needed a partner," He explained. "So..." He squinted. "Who's that?"

I whirled around to find a certain green-eyed guy walking up to me. A lazy yawn stretched his jaws wide, revealing teeth with slightly sharper incisors.

Dang.

"What are you doing here?" I yelled. My voice echoed around the pews. Blaise shrugged.

"Got bored."

"And why did you get bored?"

"Don't know. Guess there wasn't anybody to keep me interested."

I slapped a palm on my forehead, and slid it down my face. How do you keep a vampire occupied, besides letting yourself be killed? Blaise, in all his years, had probably seen it all. Including, I was sure, many girls. He could hook a Hollywood princess no problem whatsoever. For some reason, though, it made me sick at the thought of Blaise getting hot and heavy with some glamorous girl.

'Ok,' I told myself. 'Picture him with someone not glamorous'.

Darn, it still stung.

"Who's-" Luke probably began something that would make me have to make up an excellent lie,wa but then, he paled. Not as pale as Blaise was, but he was pretty pasty there.

"Eve Marcia Roberts," He growled. "Please don't tell me that's a vampire."

Blaise gave a little bow. "Guilty as charged," He smirked, then turned to me. "Marcia?"

"Family thing," I said, blushing. "But Luke-how the heck do you know my middle name?"

He waved a careless hand. "It's nothing. But would you please explain to me why you have a fully grown, male vampire-"

"I'm not exactly a zoo animal, you know," Blaise muttered, clearly annoyed.

"-who seems to know you," Luke continued. He eyes Blaise suspiciously. "Please. I'm a bit lost on this latest relationship of yours."

I scowled. "Well," I sighed. "It's not a relationship in the faintest."

_He just distracts me with that whole hot vampire-y thing._

"I barely know this annoying girl," Blaise muttered under his breath. I held back the urge to punch him, since I'd probably break all my bones in my hand, and lose my train of thought over how muscular he was.

"By the way," Blaise pointed out. "You haven't exactly given us a formal introduction."  
I glared. "Luke, Blaise, Blaise, Luke."

Luke cautiously stretched out a hand. "Nice to meet you, Blaise."

Just as he did this, the poor guy attempted the stupidest vampire-strength test I've ever seen. He grabbed Blaise's arm and tried to overpower him. The vampire rolled his eyes and gave a flick of his wrist, sending Luke tumbling into a random pew.

"Smart one, there," He commented.

"He's new," I sighed.

"EVE!" Luke raged. "Not an intelligent thing to advertise!"

"I'm on your side," Blaise said calmly with an easy smile.

"We have a deal," I admitted.

Luke arched an eyebrow. "What kind of deal?"

xxx

"You made a deal with a vampire," Luke muttered in the backseat. "A vampire. A dead dude. A night creature. A con!"

"You worry a lot," Blaise grinned, looking ahead. "Who says I want _her _blood? Why not some other girl I could simply seduce at a gas station?"

I held back the thought of Blaise seducing anyone. The bad thing was, the thought of him seducing _me _was very possible. I was a prime target. Even though I barely knew him, I was already a target.

"Who says you want her blood in particular?" Luke mocked. "No one. She's the nearest thing you can catch."

"I think about it, you know," Blaise's voice was cool. "I'm not like a shark. Mindless. Most of us think about it, and if we can, choose the ones who are most willing." He chuckled darkly. "Unfortunately..."

A long pause.

"Eve isn't appealing to me in the fact that her blood would be bitter," He added. Luke had to give a laugh at that. I reached back to slap his arm.

"And how would I be bitter?" I asked.

"You annoy me to death," Blaise counted off the reasons why my blood would be bitter. Why can't I have a normal conversation like: DidjahearwhatAmberandJohndidatKrystal'sparty?

Then again, spare me. Blood bitterness, here we go!

"-because you can't get over yourself-"

"That'd be you," I hissed under my breath. Now it was Blaise's turned to glare. We were all silent for a long time, before Luke spoke.

"How do I know you won't touch her?" He asked. Blaise's keen eyes darted towards the boy, and were shadowed for a split second, then calm again.

"You care about Eve?" He gestured to me. Huh. That was one of the few times he actually used my name!

Luke flushed, but answered: "Yes. I do. A lot."

This brought me to blush even more than Luke, and I bent my head, my chestnut hair falling around my face. This was embarrassing.

Finally, the car came into a hotel. We were all given weird glances-correction. Luke and I were given weird glances(two teenagers in ratty clothes) Blaise was given looks of worship from women, envy from the women's husbands. The receptionist, a woman around twenty-six, turned around to find a god waiting for her.

"Um... um..." She seemed unable to think of anything to say. "May I... help you?"

I have a strange feeling that the 'may I' in that sentence could be created into anything.

May I give you a full body massage?

May I watch you shower?

May I bear your twelve children?

Honestly-people are so gullible sometimes. I mean, the guy who wrote _Dracula _didn't exactly give vamps a very realisitic discription. They ain't ugly.

"Yes, thank-you," Blaise's voice was smooth. He leaned closer to the receptionist and spoke in a low, quiet voice to her. The poor woman nods, then breathlessly calls in for _three _different rooms.

"You know," I growled at Blaise. "As long as I'm away from you, I'm fine. You could just have Luke and I share one with two different rooms. I'm sure it's cheaper."

"It is," Blaise smirks, but his eyes are dangerous. He leaned in to whisper in my ear, "As annoying as you are, you're innocent. In a sense. So I'd personally prefer that you don't share a room with a boy who's infatuated with you."

Well... if I'm so annoying.

"Actually," I turned to the receptionist and smiled. "Make that _two _rooms." I winked at Blaise. "Right," I choked out the next word. "honey?"

Luke's jaw dropped. Even Blaise seemed stunned for a moment. But, he seemed to decide that since he apparently had no bloodlust for me, and absolutely no physical lust, he put an arm awkwardly around my shoulder, making me flinch.

"Of course, my love."

xxx

"Oh. Great."

"This would be your fault, you know," Blaise pointed out.

"I know," I groaned miserably.

"I sleep on the floor," He offered.

And, why was he offering that so chivalrously? Because, the receptionist had bought our-ok, _my_-act. And this was a major problem, especially this was to keep my 'innocence' intact.

The room only had one bed.

One bed.

One.

ONE FREAKIN' BED!!!!

And the couch? Not a pull-out. Not something Blaise could sleep in, and he, being the 1800s gentleman he is, said that I would NOT be sleeping on the couch, despite how annoying I was.

"Um... how about we just share it, but far away from each other?"

Blaise stared.

"Oh..." I muttered. "Shoot. Did I say that out loud?"

"Clearly." He said. "Eve, I'm a vampire. Believe it or not, I am."

With an eye roll, I whispered, "but my blood would be bitter."

"I lied."

Huh?

"To satisfy your friend," Blaise added. "He wouldn't believe that we weren't in a relationship unless I took my loathing of you to an extreme."

I sat down next to him on the bed. "You're perceptive," I smiled. "And I like that."

"You're intelligent," Blaise admitted. "I like that." He paused. "I guess we can give this thing a try..."

I looked out the window. It was nearly morning, but my eyelids were slowly, slowly, closing...

xxx

Now, I know that guys sleep with their shirts off, most of the time. And I knew that Blaise was hot.

But I didn't expect to wake up to Adonis.

Not only that, but in the _arms _of Adonis.

Who was Blaise.

xxx

_**Oooh, what happened?**_


	9. 8

_**8**_

"Holy-"

Blaise looked as freaked out as I did, his composure completely gone as we jumped away from each other.

"I am going to kill you!" I yelled, relieved to find out I was fully clothed. "You freaky... vampire guy!"

"Really offensive," Blaise commented, pulling a shirt over his head-but not before I got a good look at his toned chest and abs. However, this bliss didn't last for long. The cool, hard vampire was back.

"Eve? Eve? What the-"

"Shoot," I hissed under my breath, squeezing my eyes shut. Luke was pounding on the door of our room. Quickly, Blaise made the bed and made it look like he had been sleeping on the floor.

"What happened?" I asked quietly as I ran a brush through my hair.

"You went to sleep in the early morn," He answered. "Don't you remember? I was tired too, you know. You must have had nightmares."

"Yeah," I agreed, though I'd slept like a baby. Judging by his bored expression, Blaise hadn't done anything.

"Come in!" I called to Luke, unlocking the door. He walked in with a suspicious expression, but didn't say a thing.

xxx

"How do you stand this music?" Blaise asked, flinching at a second guitar solo. I smiled sweetly and turned up the radio.

"Dun... nun nun, nun nun-" I imitated, just to irritate him.

"Eve Roberts, I will absolutely kill you in three second if-"

"Dun. Nun, nun-"

He lunged, I grabbed the steering wheel. "You idiot!" I screamed as the car swerved, laughing at the same time. As Blaise regained control of the car, a fat guy in a truck made a rude hand gesture at us.

"That was uncalled for," Blaise muttered. I giggled. He turned his face to me. "What are you laughing at?"

Silently, I picked up my copy of _Interview with a Vampire._ Blaise's eyes were riveted on my hands as I turned each page.

"What?" I finally asked, exasperated, slamming the book in the back with Luke. Blaise simply looked back at my blond love interest.

Folding my arms over my chest, I snapped, "Anything you tell me you can tell Luke."

"Not exactly," Blaise corrected softly, turning his gaze back to the windshield.

Was I ever going to understand him?

Rain began to fall, making a soothing, rythmic drumming. I could see that Luke's eyes were closing, though he kept jerking his head back up. I had to stifle some yawns myself. Blaise seemed to be the only truly alert one. Slowly, I leaned my head back, allowing my eyes to droop shut.

Bad choice.

xxx

_Hands stroked my hair. I listened for a heartbeat. There. Ba-boom, ba-boom, it went. Just there. But as soon as I opened my eyes, that heartbeat disappeared, the hands removed themselves._

_"Huh?" I mumbled, looking up. I was lying on a grassy field, and everything was fine. But where was he? _

_Once again, I listened for a heartbeat. Still nothing. I didn't need one, I knew where he was? Still, where was his heartbeat? _

_I clutched my hands at my sides. Was he a completely different guy?_

_Suddenly, I was in a different place. People were gathered outside. It was gray and cloudy. What could I see? No... _

_"Evie, come over here," Dad told me._

_Headstones._

_I refused to take my father's hand. We were at Lena's funeral, all over again. An old lady I didn't know dabbed at her eyes and pat me on the head, then spoke to my father in a hushed voice._

_"She looks so... mature. Do you think that this affected her in any way?"_

_  
My father was taking his time in answering, so I ran to the open coffin. Wait, why was it open? Lena's body-_

_A long slash ran across my sister's throat, showing how she had been brutally murdered. I stood, shocked, as my dad answered._

_"Dr. Thompson will be evaluating her soon."_

_Another change, and I was curled up in an armchair way too big for me, listening to a man who was treating me like a little child._

_"Can you repeat that, Eve?" He asked, trying to sound like it was no big deal. Though I had no idea what I was being asked, my mouth spoke those words they had years ago._

_"I think a vampire murdered my sister."_

_Dr. Thompson looked concerned. "Eve, you know there's no such things as vampires, right?" He responded gently._

_Once again, my words were on autopilot. "I'll kill him, you know."_

_  
Dr. Thompson's eyes widened, and he wrote things down on a piece of paper._

_I was now in my bed, curled up, waiting for my dad to leave the room. Just as he was about to close the door, he peeked in and whispered, _

_"Eve, if you talk about vampires again, they'll take you away from me, so just tell Dr. Thompson what he wants to hear. Do you understand?"_

_  
"Yes."_

_Now I was in the field again, myself. I looked around angrily, searching. "Who took me to those places?" I screamed. "Where's the heartbeat?"_

_"It's not with him, Evie," a sweet voice whispered. Out of the woods stepped Lena. She looked as she had the last time I saw her alive, blond hair up in a ponytail, looking thin and athletic._

_"Lena?" I murmured in shock, eyes wide as she bounded up and wrapped her arms around me._

"You'll only gain heartbreak from him," She told me wisely. "And you'll lose everything."

"Who's him?"

"Let me show you what will happen," she said softly, ignoring my question.

_We stood in the halls of the NMO headquarters. I saw Bess speaking with Marie. They both wore sad expressions._

_"I wonder how we let her go like that," Marie sighed. "She had such potential."_

_"Eve Roberts broke the rules-big time," Bess muttered, sipping some coffee. She had dark circles under her eyes. "I just wish..."_

Tears had gathered in Marie's eyes as Bess spoke, and they now overflowed, stopping at three round droplets of salty water on her cheeks. "What led her to it, Bess?"

"We'll never know..." Bess bowed her head, disguising tears of her own. "I would like to say that it was because of what happened to Jinx. But more than likely... more than likely it was because of what happened with him."

"What's going on?" I asked, Lena at my side.

_"That could be one of your futures," She sighed in her soft, gentle voice, then led me down the hall, to a mirror._

_I gasped, and left my jaw open._

_The girl in the mirror had my hair and general features. But her eyes were dull, with dark circles under them. She was gaunt from lack of nutrition, and her chest didn't rise and fall with breaths. A long, dagger-caused slash ran across her wrist._

_"Suicide?" I cried. "I committed suicide? Why? I have no reason!"_

_  
"Yet," Lena said sadly. "There's more futures, but I will show you just one other."_

_Now I stood in the front of the little organization. A bloody sunrise was just peeking over the clouds, with very little light._

_A girl sat at a wooden bench, her back turned to me. Her thick black hair was all I could see, just barely-_

_No._

_"I can't stay long," She whispered. "It will be a bright day."_

_  
Slowly, the girl turned, revealing pale features that usually didn't occur in a Latina, and angry, dark brown eyes._

_"You were the one to leave me behind, Eve," she hissed. "You didn't go after me when you learned I was gone!"_

_"Jinx..." I murmured in my shock and sadness. "Jinx, I'm so sorr-"_

_  
"You don't mean that," Jinx grinned, revealing sharp incisors. I didn't move as she took a step towards me. I couldn't._

_"Good-bye, my sister," Lena whispered sadly._

_And Jinx began to kill me._

xxx

"Eve!"

xxx

_**Sorry for taking so long to update... :( I couldn't find the notebook that had all the chaps... R and R? NEXT CHAPTER WILL HAVE MAJOR EVE/BLAISE-NESS**_


	10. 9

_**9**_

My eyes flew open, and I stared into the eyes of Blaise, Luke, and several doctors. Blinking at the bright lights, I looked at my surroundings. A steady _beep _sounded. An IV ran into my arm.

"Why am I in a hospital?" I asked faintly, looking around. That's when I noticed the scratches on Luke's face, with bandages over some. Looking down, I saw a bandage wrapped around my arm, and as I sucked in a breath, there was a bit of pain.

"You wrecked my car, didn't you?" I said, glaring at Blaise. He looked a bit embarrassed.

"I had my reasons." He turned to the doctors. "Can you give us all a moment? We'll tell you if something goes wrong."

The doctors nodded and left. Blaise and Luke sat down in chairs next to me.

"Luke," I murmured in a shocked voice. "He totalled _my _car. MY CAR!"

"The important thing is, you're alive," Luke tried to assure me, though he obviously knew it wasn't working.

"And technically, it was a truck," Blaise told me. I simply glared.

"Why did you wreck my car?"

"You were sleeping, obviously," Blaise began. "And I could sense something was wrong. You kept saying 'the heartbeat' in your sleep, and I thought it was nothing. Until yours stopped."  
I stared, then turned my head to Luke. "He's kidding, right?" I said shakily. "I'd be dead if my heart stopped."

"Not neccesarily," Luke admitted, eyes downcast, as if it was a terrible shame to be saying Blaise was right. For him, it probably was.

"So, your heart stopped," Blaise continued like it was no big deal. "And Luke couldn't tell, of course, so, to _save your life_,"-he gave me a glare at this-"I let go of the wheel and tried to use my powers to wake you."

"This led to us tumbling off the road-" Luke added.

"And into a tree." Blaise finished, looking satisfied. "Oh, and ultimately 'totalling' your _truck_."  
"Of course," Luke snapped. "You got some cuts and a bruised rib-"

"Flesh wounds," Blaise snapped. "The point is, even though your car is... well, ruined, and you got some minor injuries, you're alive because I used the vampire Awakening."

"But my car..." I groaned, leaning back on my pillow and closing my eyes. "You killed _my car._"

"Dude," Luke chuckled. "You just lost some major points there."

"And so did you, for pure stupidity," I grumbled. My dream was still fresh in my mind, so this put me in an even worse mood.

Blaise, meanwhile, looked like for once he had lost his calm nature. This confused me, since I wouldn't think he'd be upset about the car.

"Look," I sighed. "If you help me pay the down payment for a new one-"

"What?"

"That's why you're so fidgety, right? Since you wrecked the car and all."

I sounded really retarded right then, I'll admit it. 'Fidgety'? Flighty was a better word. His eyes avoided mine at any cost, moving to anything in the room, his face was even turned away from me. I grabbed a mirror one of the nurses had placed on my nightstand. No, I had a few bruises, but I wasn't hideous.

"No..." Blaise said quietly, looking away. "That's not it." He paused. "At least, I think that's not it."

Whoa. This was the first time I'd heard Blaise sound confused.

"How long was I out?" I wondered aloud.

"Two days, actually." Luke supplied. "The doctors say you can be discharged tomorrow." Now his eyes flickered back to Blaise, more suspicious than ever.

Blaise's eyes finally went to me, and they simply ran over my entire body for a long moment, making me hold back a blush, before he finally asked one shocking question:

"Are you all right?"

Why was Blaise suddenly acting so... un-Blaise-ish? I nodded my head quickly, then looked away.

"We'd better leave," Blaise finally told Luke. "Hope you feel well soon, Eve," He added, then winced at my widened eyes.

I could hear arguing outside the door. For some reason, Luke's voice was the one raised and Blaise's was calm and quiet. I could hear my name mentioned a lot.

Finally, the door opened. Blaise walked calmly in, Luke not at his heels, for once. He looked tired, and still nervous. Slowly, he closed the door.

I sat up in bed. "What is it, Blaise? You're acting weird."

He stared at me for a moment before simply asking:

"What am I going to do with you, Eve?"

After a few seconds of silence, I said, trying to make sarcasm cover up confusion and shakiness, "You could start by _never _touching a car again."

"I wasn't _trying _to wreck you!" Blaise exclaimed. "I was trying to save you!" He ran a hand through his hair. "That's part of what worries me."

This shocked me a bit. He still hated me so much that he would be willing to let me die? Just like that? I mean, we've never been bestest friends forever, but I thought Blaise was warming up to me.

As hard as it was to admit, I was definitely getting used to him. Even liking him a bit.

"Oh." My voice was quiet, and I looked away. "Sorry about that, then."

"No." Blaise suddenly grabbed my hand. "That's not what I said, not what I meant."

I didn't answer. My eyes were riveted on my small hand clasped in his much larger one. Blaise's gaze went to the same thing, and he let go so quick, the motion was barely detectable.

"What I meant was..." Blaise began, than stood. "I shouldn't even be saying this."

"Huh?" Now I was REALLY confused. "I don't get it. Where are you going, what were you talking about?"

He shot a glance at me, and continued to walk out the door. I had no choice but to use the 'don't-push-the-teenage-girl-or-she'll-go-mental voice.

_"Blaise."_

He halted.

"Good boy," I continued. "Now, come back and tell me what you were going to tell me before your alternate personality set in."

Nodding, he sat down again, then stood again, but didn't walk off this time.

"You do realize that my life is now separated into two different parts," Blaise pointed out. "Pre-Eve, and After-Eve."

"I don't understand," I said.

"You have changed my life completely," He said. "I now am going on a... whatever you call it to avenge your sister's death, which... considering my past... shouldn't even be happening."

"I still don't get it," I smiled. "What are you talking about?"

"When your heart stopped in the car," Blaise murmured, leaning towards me. "Something happened."

"What?" I asked softly, hearing the beeps on the monitor speeding a bit.

"I was worried," Blaise sighed. "But not like I usually worry about a person."

I could feel my heartbeat start to go really fast. It was kind of creeping me out, to be honest. "Blaise?" I asked carefully. "What are you talking about?"

"At first," Blaise began. "You were just an incredibly annoying mortal. Actually, I have to say... though I told you your blood wouldn't appeal to me, I am positive-" Blaise halted.

My hand flew to my throat, but a feeling of guilt immediatly covered me. Why was worried? "Blaise, I'M sorry-"

"Don't be," He laughed. "I can't imagine how much I must have scared you in that moment. May I continue?"

I nodded. "Please do."

"All right. As I got to know you, I realized something... your whole original personality was a lie. You're still young and inexperienced." Suddenly, Blaise was winding some strands of my hair around his fingers. "Perhaps that's why you appeal to me so much."

"W-why?" I stammered, eyes on his face, and trying to stay calm. "You've been around for years... I'll never be as sophisticated as you, knowing practically everything!" This all came out in a rush, and my face was bright red when I finished. I sounded like some Jesse McCartney fangirl. Ew.

Blaise simply smiled, reminding me of his undead status, seeing the sharp incisors... "Eve," He grinned. "I'm not as wise as you think I am. You see, I may know things about history that no one else does. World War One? You don't need to look in some history books. I was in it. However... I haven't been in contact with humans in years. All I know... vampires. I listen to the ones above me, and do what they say. The ones below me are in constant fear. Eventually, emotions just... fade."

"What are you..." My voice trailed off for a moment, and my breath caught as he released my hair and moved down to tracing my jaw, traveling down to my throat with his cold fingers. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying," Blaise began, then looked like he was wondering whether he should be saying whatever he was about to say at all. Wordlessly, he leaned down close to me so that his face was inches from mine, his lips so close to mine. Gently, he tilted my head up a bit.

"I'm saying that my affections for you are getting a bit out of hand, Eve."

Slowly, without my wanting to-ok, maybe a bit out of my wanting to-my hands touched Blaise's face, until one was on each side.

"I still don't understand," I whispered. " I'm only human. You need to make this more clear to me."

Blaise's eyes darkened. "Do I have to?"

And he kissed me.

xxx

_**Your predictions are...?**_


End file.
